This year, we conducted our first Inclusion, Belonging, Equity and Diversity (“IBED”) assessment across the Company. Its purpose was to assess the maturity of inclusion, belonging, equity and diversity, identify key strengths and gaps in Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland, predict risks that may arise from these gaps, and propose steps and a roadmap to enhance maturity and reduce risks.

Our D&I Policy reaffirms our commitment to creating an inclusive and supportive working environment for all our employees regardless of age, gender or gender reassignment, sex or sexual orientation, marital or family status, disability, race (including ethnic origin or nationality), and religious or political beliefs.

Our D&I Committee is chaired by our Director, Human Resources and reports to the Executive Committee (“EXCOM”) on a quarterly basis. The D&I Committee’s responsibilities include ensuring equal opportunities, advocating fair and bias-free processes for recruiting, developing and promoting our employees, and monitoring our success in achieving D&I in our workplaces. The D&I Committee also serves as a governing body to review grievances relating to discrimination.

Our Parental Leave Policy and Guidelines demonstrates Swire Properties’ commitment to supporting our employees when they start or grow their families, and our commitment to removing bias in the workplace. We recognise that there are many diverse types of family units, and we challenge the view that childcare is solely a female responsibility. Ultimately, we want our people to pursue fulfilling and successful careers while raising children. Providing appropriate levels of parental leave is key to this aim. The policy recognises all parents regardless of their gender or sexual orientation, how they became parents (whether by natural birth, surrogacy or adoption), and the nature or existence of a family unit.

Our Flexible Working Policy was launched in 2019. We introduced the Staggered Working Hours initiative to allow employees to arrive or leave the office at flexible times provided they are present during specified core working hours. Employees can balance their work with their personal commitments, helping advance our goal of building a more people-centric workplace culture. We believe that staggered working hours empower our employees to be more creative and productive.

COVID-19 has triggered organisations to rethink work arrangements and the wellbeing of its employees. Swire Properties introduced the Remote Working Policy in 2022 to provide our employees with more flexibility when performing their work duties.

We also launched the Sabbatical Leave Policy in 2020. Sabbaticals allow an employee an extended period away from work, during which time they may recharge themselves, adjust to any life transitions, dedicate time to family matters, or develop their skillsets in various areas. Although this is unpaid leave, employees on sabbatical still enjoy selected staff benefits such as annual leave, medical, training and the use of recreation facilities.

Our Board Diversity Policy recognises the value of diversity in the composition of our Board and endorses the principle that our Board should cultivate a balance of skills and experience as well as a diversity of perspectives that are aligned with our business.

In 2023, we revised this policy to provide enhanced disclosure on policy ownership. The Nomination Committee was given the responsibility for implementing and monitoring this policy. We also introduced board diversity targets to help monitor implementation. These targets will guide us as we develop strategies to improve diversity across our Board. Our performance against these targets will be published in the Company’s annual reports and sustainability reports.